Until 20 December, San Anton School is hosting the marine photography exhibition ImaGene. The biology teacher Marissa Galea contacted the Marine Genomics Europe (MGE) which organises this travelling exhibition around the EU and invited them to come to Malta.
The aim of the MGE, through this exhibition, is to expand the general understanding of the marine environment and the biological knowledge of microbes, algae, fish and invertebrates. By showing an uncommon array of marine organisms’ photos, the MGE wish is to stress the importance of marine sciences and the need to protect the marine heritage.
The diver Sonia Silvio was also invited to take part in the exhibition in order to give a general survey of the Maltese underwater richness. An experienced diver, she started taking photographs two years ago and has already amassed a large collection of beautiful photos revealing the exquisite underwater world. Yet it is the first time she is putting up an exhibition. “I wanted to show the treasures of the underwater to non-divers. It is so exciting to discover this marine world and it is so full of life!” she exclaimed.
While Maltese waters do not boast as many fish as other places abroad, some beautiful species of fauna and flora can still be observed. Through the photos exhibited, people can admire the wonderful colours of the rainbow wrasse, the red scorpion fish, or some little yellow fish called Apagon imberbis as well as more infrequent fauna such as an Octopus vulgaris, a moray eel or a seahorse.
Some of the photos were taken by night as the marine fauna is more active and colours appear more fluorescent.
All the day long, divers can observe different fauna and colour effects, according to the position of the sun.
Schoolchildren also took part in the exhibition, writing some comments about the marine photos.
They discovered Ms Silvio’s photos with enthusiasm, asking her many questions about the underwater environment, and realised how wonderful this hidden world really is.
They also became more aware of the necessity to preserve and protect this environment.
Ms Silvio invites everyone to try scuba diving: “The conditions for diving in Malta are excellent as the sea is warm almost all year round and the visibility is very good. It is a unique experience and there is also a beautiful topography, with numerous drop-offs, caves, cliffs and even wrecks to explore. Diving is a learning experience in itself.”
For those who are still not convinced, just have a look at the exhibition.
For more information please contact San Anton School on tel. 2158-1907.